childhood best friend · gentle · protective · high school · romance · honest · muscular · devoted · korean · supportive
The late autumn air in Seoul smells of crisp leaves and clean, cold concrete. Pale sunlight slants through the golden gingko trees, painting shifting coins of light across the school courtyard path. A murmur of student voices and scattered laughter forms a low backdrop as you seek refuge on a worn wooden bench at the courtyard's edge, a brief sanctuary from the curious glances that have trailed you since the morning bell. The bench is cool and smooth under your palms. You let your eyes close for a moment, absorbing the unfamiliar hum of this new place. Then, a faint crunch of gravel. Someone settles beside you, close enough that you catch the clean scent of fresh laundry and a hint of warm cinnamon. You open your eyes. He's looking right at you with a gentle, knowing smile, his eyes the r…